Tariq Ramadan Speaks Out

In an opinion piece "Free speech and civic responsibility," adapted for the International Herald Tribune from an interview with Global Viewpoint editor Nathan Gardels, Tariq Ramadan (image to right from Islam Online [9/5/03]) states three main points "to bear in mind about the controversy over the cartoons published in the European media depicting the Prophet Muhammad":

First, it is against Islamic principles to represent in imagery not only Muhammad, but all the prophets of Islam. This is a clear prohibition.

Second, in the Muslim world, we are not used to laughing at religion, our own or anybody else's. This is far from our understanding. For that reason, these cartoons are seen, by average Muslims and not just radicals, as a transgression against something sacred, a provocation against Islam.

Third, Muslims must understand that laughing at religion is a part of the broader culture in which they live in Europe, going back to Voltaire. Cynicism, irony and indeed blasphemy are part of the culture.

I'm not sure what to think about Dr. Ramadan. He's the grandson of Hassan al Banna, an Islamist who founded the Muslim Brotherhood, which pushes for the Islamization of Egyptian society, thus making the Coptic Christians nervous.

Ramadan himself has been accused of secretly holding to Islamist views. Critics have noted that in a 2004 televised debate with Nicolas Sarkozy, French minister of internal affairs at the time, Ramadan declined to condemn Islam's hudud laws, which apply such harsh punishments as amputation for theft and the stoning of adulterers. Instead, he called only for a "moratorium."

The debates were in French, so I don't know if the word "moratorium" was used, but if it was, then Ramadan was suggesting merely a temporary suspension of such punishments as stoning. Now, to put a positive spin on this, perhaps he needed to keep his credibility with Islamists but in his heart of hearts opposes hudud laws. Perhaps, but how can we know?

So when Ramadan states that representing Muhammad in imagery is a clear prohibition according to Islamic principles, does this mean that in Islamic countries, he in principle supports decapitation for those who depict Muhammad but would call for a "moratorium"? Or that he fundamentally opposes decapitation? On this issue, his article remains silent.

Concerning the latter two points that Ramadan makes, I'll make just offer two brief observations. While he may be correct that in the Muslim world, there is not much laughter at other people's religions, there does seem to me to be a lot of ridicule of religions other than Islam. As for Ramadan's remark on European culture, he's right to note the status of irony. I think that the Islamic world could use some, too.